ksbird/foxranch
Well-known member
I have tested the Bushnell 8x42 Bushnell Excursion and wasn't impressed @ $114. But if the 8x28 is good and now selling for $85 delivered, then it could be a great bin for kids. I just got a pair of Yosemite 6x30s for kids and usually let them use the Zeiss Diafun, but the Diafun isn't phase coated and the Excursion 8x28 is supposed to be phase coated. There are lightweight 8x30 porros and I recently got a pair of (identical???) porro Brookstone 8x42s and the Meade 8x42 Safaris. The image quality is fantastic and BVD really liked them too. They are pretty lightweight but not like some of the German or even Asian 8x30s.
But the wide grip and large interpupillary distances make the lightweight 8x30s a bit large for kids. High quality opera glasses in the 3x-5x range are good for really little kids. I often go back to my collection of 10-12 degree AFV 7x35 ultrawides for kids 7-11 yo, but these ultrawide binoculars are showing up less often on Ebay and so most of the closets in America may have been cleaned out and they won't be easy to find any more. Something lightweight and waterproof for kids but with more power than the 6x30s would be useful. If you have actually used the 8x28 Bushnell Excursion, what did you think of the image quality.
But the wide grip and large interpupillary distances make the lightweight 8x30s a bit large for kids. High quality opera glasses in the 3x-5x range are good for really little kids. I often go back to my collection of 10-12 degree AFV 7x35 ultrawides for kids 7-11 yo, but these ultrawide binoculars are showing up less often on Ebay and so most of the closets in America may have been cleaned out and they won't be easy to find any more. Something lightweight and waterproof for kids but with more power than the 6x30s would be useful. If you have actually used the 8x28 Bushnell Excursion, what did you think of the image quality.